Circuit-controller



N. R. HAAS.

CIRCUIT CONTROLLER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 6, 1916- 1,401,071. Patented Dec. 20, 1921.

entree I. STATES PATENT OFFICE...

NELSON R. HAAS, OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE DAYTON ENGINEERINGLABORATORIES COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

CIRCUIT CONTROLLER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 20, 1921.

To all whOm "it may concern:

Be it known that I, NnLsoN R. Hans, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Dayton, county of Montgomcry, and State of Ohio,have invented certain. new and useful Improvements inCircuit-Controllers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

This invention relates to improvements in electro-magnetic circuitcontrollers such as cut-out or reverse current relays, and moreparticularly to that type of relay used in connection with automobilestarting, lightin and ignition systems.

ne' of the objects of thepresent invention is to so construct themovable contact of the relay as to eliminate the sparking and 7 pittingof same.

One manner of carrying out the above object is to provide a solidcontact element, rigidly secured to the relay, in combination with amovable contact element, including a plurality of conducting strips orlaminations, one of which has a piece of high resistance materialsecured thereto, in such a manner that when the movable contact elementis brought into engagement with the stationary contact, the piece ofhigh resistance material, carried by one of the contacting strips, willbe brought into engagement previous to the remaining contacting stripsor laminations of the movable contact.

In order to compensate for variations in the operation of the system,suitable adjusting means are provided in connection with the movablecontact element, so that the contact between the said movable contactelement and the stationary contact, can be varied to suit conditions.

A further object of the invention is to so construct the stationarycontact, that any excessive heat generated therein will be dissipated,thereby tending to prevent undue over-heating of the said stationarycontact element.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentin the following. description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein a preferred form of one embodiment of the present.invention is clearly set forth.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of the relay and itselectrical connections.

Figs. 2, 3 and 41- are side views of the contact carrying end of thecut-out relay, which show the movable contact element in YHIIOHS'positions. Some of the parts of these v ews have been broken away forthe sake of clearness.

Figs. 5 and 6 are detail views of of the movable contact element.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a relay having a frame 20which carries a core 21. This core supports a fine winding 22 and aheavy winding 23, the functions of which are fully describedhereinafter. A stationary contact element 24 is rigidly secured to therelay in any suitable manner. The frame 20 is bifurcated to form members20 which support pivot pin 26, upon which are mounted for oscillationthe armature 25, clamping strip 27 and the movable contact element 28.Screws 42 serve to clamp these elements together with pin the relay 26between armature 25 and strip 27, said pin being seated in the groove 25formed 1n the armature 25. While the armature has a swinging movement itmay be said to have movement substantially longitudinal of the magnetcore. This contact carrying element 28 includes a plurality of strips orlaminations 29, one of which has a high resistance element 30 of mediarmetal or any other well known high resistance material secured at itsouter extremity.

Mediar is a trade name for a material having relatively high resistanceand also the qualities of not easily corroding under the action of anelectric spark.

By referring to Figs. 2, 3 and 4, it can be clearly seen that the highresistance element 30 projects beyond the extremities or contact facesof the strips or laminations 29. This permits the high resistanceelement 30 tocome into contact with the stationary contact element 24,before any of the strips or laminations 29, of thecontact element 28, asis clearly shown in Fig. 3.

A spring element 31 is secured to the one end of the strip 27 tending topull or force the armature 25 away from the core 21.

By referring to Fig. 1, the system is shown including a generator 32,having field windings 33, and connected to the storage battery 84, bymeans of the relay and line connection 35.

Now, when the generator starts to generate, current will first start tobuild up in the field 33. As soon as this building up effect has reacheda determined point, current will flow from the brush 36, through wire37, to the point 38, thence through the fine winding 22 of the relay, tothe point 39,

" wire 35.

back to the generator via the wire 35.

When the core 21 has become energized sufliciently to attractthearmature 25, the

tensionof the spring 31' is overcome, causing the movable contactelement to be brought into engagement with the stationary contactejlemen't 24 in the following manner.

First tie high resistance element 30 will be brought into engagementwith the stationary contact element 24 (see Fig. 3), and then furthermovement of the movable contact will bring the strips or laminations 29into engagement with the stationary contact (see Fig. 4), at which timecurrent will i described action of the relay reverses, that is, I

. the strips or laminations 29 will first break -ment 30, the sparkingat, this engagement with the contact element 24,

after. which the high resistance element 30 I will break away from thestationary contact,

' and owing to this decreased fiow, on account of the relatively highresistance of the ele point will substantially be eliminated. v

In order to compensate, for different variations in the charging rate ofthe generator, the movable contact element 28 is provided with elongatedslots 41, which are adapted to receive a screw 42 which clamps themovable contact element securely to the strip 27. Any variation oradjustment can be made by loosening said screws 42, and after properadjustment has been obtained, said screws may again be tightened toclamp the movable elementin. the desired position.

The plane of contact of contacts .28 and 24 is oblique to the magnetcore 21 and to the plane of the armature 25, and the adjustment of thecontact 28 is a direction oblique to the plane of contact. Accurateadjustment of the gap between said contacts is thereby facilitated sincea required change in gap requires greater movement of contact 28.

By referring to Fig. 5, the stationary contact element is shown havingprojections or ears 43. These projections are provided so that whenexcessive heat is generated at the contact points, through thecontinuous making and breaking of the circuit, this heat will bedissipated in this comparatively large.body of material, thereby tendingto overcome any tionary contact.

WVhile the foregoing discloses a cut-out or reverse current relay, itwill be understood that the application of the present invention is notlimited to this particular type of electro-magnetic circuit controller,but may be applied as well to other-types of electroma netic circuitcontrollers.v

hile the form of mechanism herein shown and described, constitutes apreferred form of embodiment of the invention, it is to be understoodthat other forms might be adopted all coming within the scope of theclaims which follow. What -I claim is as follows: 1. In a circuitcontroller, the combination with an electromagnet including a core andwindings of an armature; a stationary con tact; a movable'contactsupported by the armature and associated with said stationary contact; aresistance element carried. by the movable contact and adapted to bebrought into engagement with the stationary contact previous to themovable contact, and means for adjusting the relative position of themovable contact and its resistance element to the stationary contact,said adjustment'taking place. in a direction which is transverse to themagnet core.

2. In a circuit controller, the combination with a magnet including acore and wind-- undue heating of said sta-.

ings; of a stationary contact; a pivot pin D and support therefor; anarmature; a movable contact; and .a common means to secure the movablecontact upon the armature and in proper relation to the stationarycontact, and also to clamp the armature upon the pivot pin in properrelation to the magnet core.

3. In a circuit controller, the combination with an electromagnetincluding an L- shaped frame, a core mounted on one leg of the frame andwindings on the core; of a pivot pin mounted upon the other leg of themagnet frame; a stationary contact; an armature; a movable contact; anda common element for securing the movable contact upon the armature andin proper relation to the stationary contact, and to clamp the armatureupon the-pivot pin in proper relation to the magnet core. v

4. In acirc uit controller, the combination with an electromagnet havingan L-shaped strip; and a boltpassing through elongated holes provided inthe movable contact, and through the clamping strip, and having threadedengagement with the armature in order to serve as a device for clampingthe pivot pin between the armature and' clamping strip, and as anelement for adjustably securing the movable contact upon the armature.

5. In a circuit controller, the combination with a magnet, including acore and Windings; of a stationary contact; an armature; means forsupporting said armature for re- NELSON R. HAAS. Witnesses J. W.MCDONALD,

J. E. JOHNSON.

